Buddy Media rolls out new social tools for marketers

Social marketing platform operator Buddy Media is rolling out a bunch of updates to its suite of tools that should give marketers more flexibility and resources in using social channels to reach consumers. The update includes a unified social data API, the ability to track conversions and campaigns across entire social media efforts, and a new mobile content development platform that makes creating native mobile apps easier.

The update comes just days before Facebook’s big IPO and underscores how much social channels are changing the way marketers build awareness, engage audiences and prompt actions by consumers. Buddy Media says it managed 128 billion impressions in the first quarter of this year, up from 3 billion this time last year. The new updates are designed to keep Buddy Media among the leaders of social marketing software, which is used by eight of the world’s top ten advertisers.

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Here’s a look at the updates:

The universal social data API lets marketers pull all their data from their social media presences, conversations, ads and apps and then use it to feed into tools like Omniture to guide their interactive marketing efforts. They can use the collected insights to bolster sales and product development or improve their relationships with consumers.

Marketers can now use universal conversion tracking across Buddy Media’s entire social marketing suite to see, in real time, which content is rising to the top. More than just likes and shares, marketers can now see which content is driving actions across their entire portfolio of content, from paid ads, apps and updates.

With a new mobile application platform, marketers can now build native mobile social applications instead of translating content designed for a desktop. Brands can build their own apps such as galleries, polls, video players and form builders that are optimized for mobile. That’s good for mobile users who now get a less compromised experience when clicking on content.

Other improvements include the ability for brands to group associated content into one larger campaign and set goals for that campaign. There’s also Pinterest integration for the first time so brands can build out their experience on Pinterest using a new app from Buddy Media and re-use that content in other places such as their Facebook Page. Arts and crafts retailer Michaels is one of the first to use Buddy Media to integrate its Pinterest board with its Facebook Page.

Joe Ciarallo, VP of Communications for Buddy Media, told me the improvements should help accelerate the adoption of marketing via social channels. He said companies are increasingly getting comfortable reaching consumers via social but it requires a change in thinking. It’s less about what the platforms can do for the brands and more about what the brands can do for people and their community of followers.